What Lily Did on Her Spring Break.

Lily's Spring Break was full of fun activities and I must say that I am super jealous!

Monday

She had her first visit to the library where she got to participate in story time and she got to check out some books and a Dora movie!  Grams took her out to eat and she got her very own ice cream cone for dessert!

Tuesday

Lily got to see Frozen at the movie theater!  Grams said she was so, so good during the movie.  She sat and watched the whole thing and never acted up, ran around or got restless.  She sang (whispered) along with the songs.  She really, really loves that movie.  (I'm so sad that I missed taking her to this movie.  Joel and I talked about it, but we both wanted to go, meaning we needed a sitter for Tyler, and we never made it happen while the movie was still playing in Columbus.  So, I'm glad she got to see it in the theater - I just feel like a jerk for not being the one to make it happen.)

Wednesday

Grams and Aunt Katie took Lily and Ayden to a bouncey house place where they ran around, jumped, went down slides, hollered, yelled, giggled and generally had an amazing time.  Ayden stayed overnight with Lily at Grams house, so they had a little slumber party.

Thursday

Grams had to work a little bit on Thursday so Lily and Ayden kept each other company and played in the basement.

Friday

Finally a day that was nice enough to get to play outside a little bit!

And mixed throughout the week were games of Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, arts and crafts and other miscellaneous activities. 

Mom said Lily was absolutely wonderful the whole week.  

She slept in the spare bedroom by herself with no problem.  She went to sleep with no fuss.  She did not get up at 6am like she does at our house.  

Mom was really worried about what to feed Lily and concerned about whether she would actually get enough to eat since she's super picky.  Apparently Lily ate like a horse all week with absolutely no prompting and prodding by Mom.  Mom swears she hasn't been pumping her full of fruit snacks and chocolate.  I don't know if I believe this.........

Additionally, there have been no tantrums.  No fights.  No bath time screaming fits.  Figures.  

I asked Mom how she pulled this off.  She said, she always offered Lily two choices (longer bath or more play time..... this to eat or that to eat..... two short stories or one long story.... etc etc etc) and let Lily decide.   Then she sticks to whatever Lily picked - no exceptions.  Which is exactly what we do.  However, with us, even if she chooses longer bath, she still wants the additional play time after bath and goes into a screaming fit to get it after she already had the longer bath (for example).  I guess I was hoping Mom was going to find some magic trick/button/lever/strategy that we hadn't tried.  Sigh.  I guess this is just how it goes.  

The flip side, I guess, is that Mom, who raised a son and three headstrong, stubborn daughters, has already paid her dues in the fighting and screaming department.  She's earned this place in Grandmother-dom where it's all joy, hugs, kisses and giggles.  

Someday (like at least 25 years from now), I shall have that too!  But not tonight.

Tonight, we get home from Ayden's birthday party and Lily has been fighting us on everything since we walked in the door.  She fought about going to the potty by herself (she insists someone go with her - guess what? she didn't do that at Grams house).  She fought about going to bed.  She fought about going potty before bed.  She finally went potty and then fought about wiping her butt.  And then fought about pulling her pants up. 

I gathered up half her toys and removed them from her room.  Then she fought, with her pants around her ankles, about wanting her toys back.  So, after several chances to calm down, she was locked in her room in time out.  I go back 4 minutes later and hug her and such.  She says she wants to wipe her butt (cause her pants are still around her ankles).  So I send her back to the bathroom.  She won't wipe her butt and we start all over. 

I lock her back in her room and call Mom, crying, and ask her if she'd be willing to come pick Lily up and keep her at her house until she's 8. 

I try again with Lily and this time when I open her door she tells me she has to poop.  Which I'm pretty sure is another stall tactic but I let her go the potty.  Where she sits and plays around, not pooping.  And screaming for her toys back. 

So I try something new.  I turn Pandora on to the Disney channel on my phone and keep hitting next until a Frozen song comes on.  Which causes her to be totally mesmerized such that I am able to wipe her butt, pull her pants up and get her in bed while the song plays.  After it's over, I read her a story and leave the room. 

About 10 seconds later she starts screaming for her toys back.  And then screaming for Daddy to read her a story.  And then screaming that she doesn't want these jammies (that she picked out). And round and round we go.  And now, we've been listening to that screaming for the last 20 30 40 minutes.  She finally gave up.  90 minutes after we started the bed time routine, she finally gave up. 

I love her.  I love her more than life itself.  But, holy, freaking, moly.  I really and truthfully do not know how we're all going to come out of this phase without permanent psychological damage.